The Game Awards: Esports Team Prediction

The Game Awards are nearly upon us and we wanted to do a preview of some of the categories and give our own thoughts on who could walk away with the win. With so many games taking headlines this year and so many teams dominating in their respective scenes, every single nominee has a chance to walk away with this award.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Astralis (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) – This years Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene was dominated by two teams and one of them is Astralis. 2019 might not have been as great a year for Astralis as 2018 was, but they still took some decisive victories at the Intel Extreme Masters XIII – Katowice Major and StarLadder Berlin Major which cannot be overlooked.

G2 Esports (League of Legends) – G2 is hard to pick against. They had unbelievable year that took them all the way to the grand finals of the World Championships. Just like FNatic last year, they ran into a brick wall when they went up against China. That shouldn’t take away from what they accomplished however, even if some people think it does.

OG (DOTA2) – OG is an obvious choice considering their story. From underdogs to two-time champions, their rise to greatness cannot be understated. Red Bull even produced a documentary this year about OG’s path, through heartbreak and betrayal from the bottom to the top of the mountain, OG is a name that will never leave the history books of DOTA.

Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Blizzard Entertainment

San Francisco Shock (Overwatch League) – After a disappointing 2018 season, the San Francisco Shock took the league by storm. Under the leadership of two young players who previously had to ride the bench the Shock dominated. They gave birth to the most intense rivalry the league may ever see with the Vancouver Titans and they were the first and only team to every go undefeated in map count for an entire stage.

Team Liquid (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) – Team Liquid is one of the names you expect to see in any category of esports that they operate. 2019 in the CS:GO space was theirs to claim and they started the year off with a huge bang by securing the second ever Intel Grand Slam in the fastest way possible. They took home eight first place wins over the year, showcasing their champion level skills in every competition they entered.

Who should win? The San Francisco Shock. If you rewind one year, one of these teams doesn’t yet measure up to the rest. The 2018 San Francisco Shock had a plan that revolved around two young players who weren’t yet old enough to take the stage. Banking everything on a 2019 season that would prove to be absolutely lights out. The performance of the San Francisco Shock and players like Jay “Sinatraa” Won and Matthew “Super” DeLisi were so incredible that no one will remember the sub-par performance of the 2018 Shock. There are only Champions on that roster.

Who will win? Team Liquid. You cannot deny the absolute ferocity of this Counter-Strike Team. Eight solid first place finishes through 2019 is amazing. When you put them up against a team like Astralis, which is still a top tier team and nominee in this very category, TL has 6 more wins then they do. In this case? It’s not even a competition.

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